How To Get Rid of that Garlic Smell On Your Hands

There’s one thing I will always believe in, no matter what. No, not the power of love. I’m talking about the power of garlic. Not only can garlic make your food go from great to amazing, but it also has so many wonderful nutritional properties to it. It’s been known to stop colds, help toothaches, and some even link it to helping prevent cancer. All of that is worth its one big downfall — making your hands smell.

nothing like cooking with garlic and then gettin those sweet fumes every time you put your hands near ur face for the rest of the night

— lily allen (@sinnertay) December 19, 2018

Best of luck to anyone cooking with garlic this holiday season. Your hands are going to smell until 2019.

— Jillian Nalivyko (@JillianNalivyko) December 18, 2018

the worst part about working with garlic is it sticks to your hands in the worst way for days. I hate old hand garlic smell

— Love Laugh Live by the Sword 🍉 (@Logicalanswer) December 16, 2018

Even though it could be a comforting smell while cooking your favorite dishes, it might not be so great when you’re back at the office, or perhaps meeting someone for a first date. But have no fear — there are plenty of ways to get your hands smelling normal once again.

A few months back, So Yummy reported on a metal soap bar that you could use to remove the smell from your hands after cooking. This is still a great tool to have in the kitchen.

But, there’s a pretty good chance you’re reading this for tips on how to get rid of the smell right now. So you might want to order it for later if garlic is a big part of your routine and listen to these other tips.

One of the top deodorizing methods is to use salt. There’s an excellent chance you have some lying around, and mixed with a little water, it should get you back to where you want to be. Adding lemon to salt reportedly works even better — just make sure you don’t have any cuts on your hands. Baking soda also works, which makes sense — aside from its use as an ingredient, it’s also great for cleaning.

Life hack I learned yesterday: wanna get rid of the stickiness and smell after cutting garlic or onions? Wash your hands with table salt. Immediately better! Wish I had known this long ago lol

— Fluffenchops 🍉 (@SailorAnime) March 14, 2018

Another surprise method? Coffee. Coffee grounds are a bit messier than the other alternatives, but it’s still good for neutralizing odor. Plus, the smell of coffee is typically a pleasant one.

If you’ve just been using soap and water and still have a lingering smell, make sure to have some of these other products lying around. Garlic smell should never deter you from using it in all of your best recipes.

And hey, maybe you never want that smell to go away.

my uncle told me how to get rid of garlic smell on my fingers; I looked at him like he had instructed me to extinguish all joy from my life

— ndmspaint (@ndmspaint) September 29, 2016